


Anything for You

by fangirlishuniverse



Series: What tomorrow may bring... [2]
Category: Mary Poppins (Movies), Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers
Genre: After WWII, Bit sad, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, It gets happier eventually, Mary Poppins comes back, She needs to fix this mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 16:57:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20156974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlishuniverse/pseuds/fangirlishuniverse
Summary: [Sequel to "Side by Side"]One year after the end of WWII the lives of the Banks family haven't yet gone back to normal. Jack survived the war, but has lost the spark in his eyes. Jane has been raising their three children all by herself, and is yet to get used to having her shoulder to cry on back.Times are tough for the Banks family and there is only one person who can fix them.I don't own Mary Poppins (Returns) or it's characters. Only the plot of this story and my OC's. All rights go to Disney and P.L. Travers.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back readers of "Side by Side", or welcome new readers! This is the prologue to the sequel to my first Jane/Jack fanfic. You don't have to have read that book to understand this one, but it might give you just a little bit more insight, and it's a lot cheerier than this one. It's literally a ball of fluff.  
Hope you'll like it :)  
-Z

"That's good, because after today you will never have to be apart again." 

That is what Micheal Banks had said to him on his wedding day. Jack's chest began to rise faster and he felt a lump form in his throat. He stared at the yellow letter in his hands. He knew the government was conscripting men between 18 and 41 years old but he thought he'd be safe, being a father of two, soon to be three. Apparently they needed all the men they could get. Then of course they would turn to the workers first, as they always get the worst treatment from their government. He was used to it by now, but he never thought they would tear fathers away from their families. That is one step too far. 

Jack took a deep breath and put on a smile as he heard his four year old daughter coming down the stairs.

"Daddy?" She whispered.

"Good morning my little light. Did you sleep well?" Jack picked her up in his arms and carried her into the kitchen, putting her down on the counter. 

"Yes. But Albert was making a lot of noises in his sleep so I couldn't sleep any more." She said hugging her little blanket. Jack smiled.

"Well you're in luck because daddy couldn't sleep anymore either. Mummy was snoring again." Jack said and booped his daughter's nose.

The little girl giggled. She knew her mummy hadn't been well since her belly was big again and hoped it would soon go back to normal. 

"Say, is it just me or do you suddenly look a lot older?" Jack grinned at his daughter, making her laugh.

"I'm four years old now daddy, so of course I'm a lot older. I'm very big." She said standing up on the counter, towering above him.

Jack sighed and chuckled.

"My big girl. " He smiled.-

"Now come down quickly before your mother wakes up and you know she doesn't want you or your brother standing on the counter." Jack said sternly and helped her down. Suddenly Jack heard a yawn coming from behind him. He turned around to find his sleepy wife carrying their two year old son on her hip. 

"Good morning." Jane yawned and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. 

"Good morning lovely wife of mine." He said and then turned to Albert.

"Good morning my boy, did you sleep well? Your sister said you were making loads of noises?" Jack said and tickled his son on his belly. Albert burst out laughing, nearly falling from Jane's hip, which was already quite the trick with her swollen stomach. 

"Jack!" Jane said with a stern voice, but still smiling. Jack took Albert from her and put him in his highchair. 

"Sorry miss Banks." Jack grinned and leaned down to kiss her stomach.-

"Also a very good morning to you little one." Jack whispered and Jane stroked his hair gently, smiling to herself. She never got tired of these mornings with her little family. As horrible as she was feeling during this pregnancy, Jack and her children could always put a smile on her face. And soon there was going to be another little one to care for. Jane couldn't wait to meet him or her, but was rather worried about how they were going to manage raising a four year old, a two year old and a newborn. At least they would do it together, she thought. 

Jack turned to his daughter.

"Katherine Mary Banks, will you please wash your hands before sitting at the breakfast table?" He said sternly but with a playful tone. 

"Yes father." Katie said obediently and went to wash her hands. 

"Katie, here, take Bert with you, will you?" Jane said and put Albert down next to her. 

Katie took her brother's little hand in hers and together they walked slowly to the bathroom. 

Jane and Jack watched them as they walked away. Jack's smile faded as he remembered the yellow letter. He was going to have to tell Jane, as much as it pained him. He felt the lump in his throat return but tried his best to hide his pain. However, Jane noticed as she knows her husband too well. Jack is never sad and whenever something bad happens he manages to turn it into something positive. This wasn't happening now and it worried Jane.

"Jack? Love, what's wrong?" Jane said, taking his hand in hers.

Jack didn't say anything. Instead he looked at his feet, trying to gather the courage to break his wife's heart. He didn't want to. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. But he was to leave soon and he had to tell her at some point. 

"Jack?" Jane tried again, this time gripping his hand a bit tighter.

Jack sighed and walked into the hallway with Jane following him, still holding on tightly to his hand. He picked up the letter from where he had left it and gave it to Jane, not looking her in the eyes.

Jane let go of Jack's hand to open the letter. She was confused by Jack's sudden silence and gave him a glance before starting to read the letter. Jack now looked at her. He could see her face change with every sentence she read. When she reached the last line, her face crumbled and she fell down on her knees in tears. Jack kneeled down quickly to comfort his wife. 

"Shhh... It's alright... It's going to be alright..." Jack whispered as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Jane sobbed into his shoulder, her tears drenching the jumper Jack was wearing. Jack put his hand on the back of her head, slowly stroking it in comfort. He was on the verge of crying himself and comforting Jane was also comforting him. Finally Jane turned to look into her husband's face. She cupped his cheeks with her hands.

"I know you need to go. I won't make this any harder for you than it already is. Just promise me one thing, ok?" Jane said, trying to pull herself together.

"Anything for you." Jack said with a tear running down his cheek. Jane wiped it away with her thumb.

"Promise me you'll come back to me." She said, looking into his eyes.

"I promise. And I will do everything in my power to keep that promise." Jack said.

They just stared at each other for a moment. Then Jane kissed Jack on the lips passionately, as if there was no tomorrow. To be quite frank, she wasn't sure if he was going to be here tomorrow so she couldn't take this kiss for granted.

_

Two weeks later the Banks family was standing outside of their home. Some of Jack's Leerie friends were putting the last few of Jack's things in the van that was waiting outside. Jack was talking to Micheal Banks, his brother-in-law. 

"This is horrible, Jack. They can't just take a father away from his children." Micheal said, glancing over at Jane who was wrapping her children up in blankets for the air was chilly.

"I know. But I best serve my duty and pray for the war to end soon. I'm hoping to be home by the time Jane goes into labour." Jack said. Micheal nodded. He had gotten a letter himself, but after a bit of persuasion he got out of it because he is not only a father of three but also a widower and there would be no one to care for his children if he were to fight in the war. Micheal had pleaded for Jack to be given a pardon as well but Jack's job didn't exactly place him high on the list with the government as the lamplighters were slowly but surely beginning to disappear anyway because of electronic lamps being installed in certain places in London.

"The ring is jacked, Jack." One of the Leeries said.

Micheal gave Jack a look of confusion.

"Thanks mate. Everything is packed, that means." Jack said to Micheal with a chuckle.

"Oh." Micheal said simply, and sighed. 

Jack said goodbye to everyone one by one. Annabel and Georgie were both crying when they hugged their uncle for the last time. John tried to be strong for his siblings, father and mostly his aunt and cousins. Though he couldn't get rid of the lump in his throat.

Jack then moved to his own family. He kneeled down to face his two children.

"Katherine, my little light." Jack said as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"You look after your mother and siblings for me, will you?" He said with a gentle smile.

"I will father. " Katherine said, trying to hold back her tears as she hugged her father tightly. 

"Good girl. I'm so proud of you, don't you ever forget that." Jack whispered into her ear, which made the tears finally run down her cheeks as she nodded. 

Then he turned to Albert.

"My big boy. Come here" He said as he pulled his son into a big hug. Albert was already crying because everyone else was crying and he didn't understand what was going on.

"Now I'm going to be away for a while, but when I come back you're going to be a big strong boy now aren't you? Mummy will take good care of you until then." He smiled sadly at Albert and cupped his cheek wiping away some tears. 

He stood up straight to face his wife. Jane was holding back tears. She didn't want to cry, because she knew it would make Jack feel even worse and she wanted him to be at peace with leaving. Though it was hard to hold back tears when her whole family was already crying and Jack was cupping her cheek tenderly. 

"My love. You are the light of my life, you know that right?" Jack whispered, standing close to Jane.

Jane nodded.

"And you are mine." Jane said, her voice cracking slightly as he gently caressed her cheek.

"I won't break my promise." He whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"You better not." Jane said sternly with a giggle. 

Jack chuckled and soon closed the gap between their lips. Their last kiss was gentle and full of love. Their lips gently brushing against each other as she melts into his arms for the last time. It ended too soon. Jack smiled and leaned down towards Jane's stomach. 

"Hey little one. I hope to meet you soon, but just in case; I'm your father and I love you with all of my being. Don't you ever forget that." He whispered, making Jane burst into tears now. 

He leaned up again and gave Jane and his kids one last hug. Then he got into the back of the van and before they knew it he was gone. 

"Don't you forget your promise." Jane whispered to herself, praying to all the Gods that he could hear her.


	2. 1. Bad Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane comforts her youngest daughter after having a nightmare, and Jack and Jane talk about finding him a new job.

-1946-

Jane was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked at her alarm clock. "5:04 AM" it said. She sighed. Jack had already left to light the lamps, so she was by herself. She'd gotten rather used to sleeping alone during the war so it wasn't a big difference, but she'd been so happy sleeping in his arms again once he returned. She still thanked God everyday for Jack's safe return. He came back with a few broken bones but those healed quite quickly and he didn't have any worse injuries. However Jane had noticed he wasn't quite the same. Fighting a war tends to do that to people. It changes them, but Jane already knew he wouldn't be the same when he returned. Of course Jack is still Jack. He hadn't become mean or cruel, because that is just not in Jack's nature. But he was certainly a lot more quiet, and when someone asks him to tell a story which usually made him glow with joy, he now hesitates and says he doesn't know any good stories. 

Jane's thoughts were interrupted by the door to their bedroom opening.

"Mummy?" She heard a quiet voice whisper.

Jane sat up in bed and found her six year old daughter, Winnifred, standing in the door opening. 

"Winnie? What are you doing up so early, honey?" Jane said and gestured for her daughter to climb onto the bed. Once she was up she flew into the arms of her mother.

"I had a bad dream." She cried into Jane's shoulder.

"Oh dear. It's alright sweetheart. It's not real." Jane said and gently stroked Winnie's hair.

"It looked very real." Winnie sobbed.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Jane asked softly, placing Winnie in front of her on the bed and wrapping the blanket around her.

"There was a big, bad wolf, and it wanted to take you away!" She almost screamed.

"Shh... I'm right here honey. No one is going to take me away. Not a wolf, nor a tiger nor a simple man. I'm not going anywhere." Jane said calmly. 

"But he said that you were going to go away just like father did and that we'd have no one left." Winnie said and jumped into Jane's arms for another hug.

Jane was silent for a moment. Winnie had only known her father for a year now and it seems she still wasn't used to him. It always hurt to see Jack desperately trying to connect with his daughter, but she just doesn't trust him. Yet... And if it hurt her then Jane thought it must be agony for Jack. To be a stranger to his own daughter... Jane pushed this thought away quickly to continue comforting Winnie.

"Hey, your father is here now. And so am I. We are not going away ever, do you understand?" Jane asked, facing her daughter with a smile. 

Winnie nodded with a sad smile on her face. 

"Now you need to get back to bed." Jane said.

"Can I sleep here?" Winnie asked, putting on her puppy eyes.

Jane sighed.

"Alright then, at least you won't wake your brother and sister up." Jane grinned and Winnie cheered.

Jane tucked her daughter in and gently stroked the side of her face. 

"Will you sing something for me, mummy? I don't feel tired at all anymore." Winnie asked.

Jane smiled. She knew just the lullaby. 

"Stay awake don't rest your head  
Don't lie down upon your bed  
While the moon drifts in the skies  
Stay awake don't close your eyes  
Though the world is fast asleep  
Though your pillow soft and deep  
You're not sleepy as you seem  
Stay awake, don't nod and dream  
Stay awake, don't nod and dream" 

And slowly but surely, Winnie drifted back into sleep. Jane smiled, fondly remembering Mary Poppins singing it to her and Micheal all those years ago.

Jane didn't feel like sleeping anymore herself, so she decided to go downstairs and make herself some cereal. 

A couple of hours later she heard the front door open. After a few moments, an exhausted Jack flopped onto the sofa next to her. 

"Hey." Jane said softly.

"Hey." Jack returned.

"How did it go?" Jane asked.

"As usual. Not much to do, so I offered to cover for some of me mates." He said simply. 

"Some of your mates? How many did you cover for?" Jane asked. She didn't use a scolding tone, more a curious one. 

"Five. Angus is ill and the rest could use a break so I offered. It's not like their routes are much longer than mine now." Jack said bitterly, referring to the electric street lights that were almost everywhere now. 

"Good for you, Jack." Jane said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She was very proud of him for making the best out of this situation. He was going to lose his job soon, that was a fact. But he was going to enjoy it until the very end.

"There are only 14 of us left, Jane." Jack sighed, sounding frustrated. 

"I know, but you'll always be a Leerie. Whether you actually light lamps or not. You light me up, and every single person you smile at. That's just who you are." Jane stated.

Jack smiled at his wife. She always knew just what to say to make him feel better.

"I'll have to find a new job soon." Jack said. Jane was obviously still working for SPRUCE but that alone is not nearly enough to support their family of five.

"Yes, I'll search the newspaper for any suitable job openings and circle them for you." Jane said, determined to help him.

"Thank you, love." Jack said and gave her a gentle kiss. 

He'd been back for a year now and relished every moment he could spend with his family. After the horrible war he made a promise to himself that he would never again take anything for granted.

"Have you got work today?" Jack asked Jane. 

"Yes, we've got a rally remember? I told you about it yesterday." Jane said, slightly startled.

"Oh yes, 'course. I'm sorry. Just, slipped me mind." Jack shrugged. Jane gave him a glance before brushing it off.

"I was hoping you could drop me off?" Jane asked. 

"Sure." Jack said with a smile.

"And I thought we could maybe bring the children and after dropping me of you could go to Micheal's with them. We haven't been to visit for a while." Jane said. 

"That's because since Annabel and John moved out, the kids don't find it all that interesting there anymore." Jack chuckled

"Oh come on, they love seeing their uncle Micheal and cousin Georgie. Georgie always tells them such lovely stories about their adventures with Mary Poppins." Jane smiled.

"Yes, well perhaps they're growing tired of them. I know I certainly am." Jack said simply and Jane looked at him for a moment. He had been quite dismissive about Mary Poppins since he came back and it made Jane really sad. But right now was not the time to be sad because they had a rally to get to.

Standing up, Jane sipped a cup of tea which she had totally forgotten was there. She made a disgusted face when she discovered it had gone completely cold. Jack chuckled.

"Alright, but you know my bicycle riding has gotten worse since the war and it might be a bit wobbly." Jack playfully bumped his shoulder against hers. Jane giggled.

"Well we'll have to take the chance then, won't we?" She said. 

Jane called up the stairs to get the children to come down for breakfast.

When everyone was finished they put on their coats and hats and headed out into the chilly morning air of London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter one! It's now one year after the end of the war and Jack survived! Though there might be some trouble coming... 
> 
> Little bit of information on the kids; Katherine is now ten years old, Albert eight and Winnie obviously six as mentioned in the chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading guys, please leave a comment or a kudos if you liked it. 
> 
> -Z


	3. 2. Realist or believer?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack, and their children visit Micheal and Georgie for lunch.

After dropping Jane off at her rally, Jack and the children cycled on towards the house of Micheal Banks. It was a chilly day so the children huddled close to each other on the back of the bicycle. As they rode onto Cherry Tree Lane they saw Georgie Banks taking out the garbage.

"Hello Georgie!" The children cheered excitedly.

"Hi kids! Hello uncle Jack." Georgie beamed. He was now 16 years old and the only one of Micheal's children still living at the house. He missed his siblings a lot of course, but he found it rather fun not to be the little one anymore.

"How are you this fine morning, Georgie?" Jack asked, slowing to a halt in front of number 17.

"Quite alright, thank you. What about you all? I see aunt Jane couldn't make it." Georgie said.

"We're alright. Jane has a rally right now, but she'll be joining us for lunch later on." Jack said.

"Great! You go on ahead, I'll just finish this and be right behind you." Georgie said, gesturing to the front door.

Jack nodded. The children jumped off and Jack parked the bicycle at it's usual spot. The children ran up to the front door and knocked. It was opened by Ellen (still loyally working for the Banks family, even though it gets harder for her every day.)

"Oh hello children! Come in, come in! You too Jack." Ellen said, waving them all in.

"Thank you Ellen." Jack said and gave her a quick hug.

Micheal came running down the stairs, hearing the commotion, and welcomed his family.

"Welcome back everyone! It's been a while." He laughed giving everyone a hug.

"We're glad to be back, aren't we kids?" Jack smiled. The children nodded happily and basically stormed upon Georgie as he reentered the house.

Georgie laughed and took the children upstairs, already in the middle of a story.

"No Jane today?" Micheal asked as they were both seated in the parlor.

"She had a rally, unfortunately. But she'll be joining us for lunch later on. At least she said so, you never know when Jane might show up." Jack joked and Micheal laughed.

"True, very true. Shows up at the most random moments that one." He chuckled.

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Hey, Jack… How have you been?” Micheal finally asked.

“What do you mean?” Jack responded, instantly feeling a bit defensive. He didn’t know why though.

“You know, it’s been a year since you’ve been back. How are you holding up?” Micheal asked.

Jack didn’t say anything.

“I trust Jane has spoilt you way too much.” Micheal tried and grinned, and Jack let out a nervous chuckle.

“She’s been the best. She’s always there when I need her and I couldn’t wish for a sweeter wife.” Jack said, truthfully.

Micheal smiled.

“She’s had a hard time while you were gone. I never once saw her ‘real’ smile during those 5 years. The smile she wears when she’s around you.” He said, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

Jack sighed in understanding but didn’t say anything.

“How about the children? Have they been giving you all the hugs you deserve?” Micheal laughed.

“Yes… Katie and Bert for sure, but Winnie is still a bit hesitant…” Jack’s voice got caught in his throat. Micheal noticed and realized this wasn’t a topic Jack wanted to talk about.

“Well she will. You’re her father and that doesn’t change. Now tell me about work. How’s that going?” Micheal asked and judging by Jack’s face, that was also a difficult topic.

When Jack didn’t say anything Micheal laughed.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I’m really trying my best, just tell me something positive you’d like to talk about.” He said.

Jack laughed.

“Jane.” He said simply.

Micheal smiled and chuckled.

“Of course you want to talk about Jane. I should’ve known. I might have a photo album of when we were little, hidden somewhere upstairs. I can go get it if you want?” Micheal asked.

“Sure. That’d be great, Micheal.” He said as Micheal got up to get the album.

“And Micheal?” Jack stopped him.

“Yes?” Micheal responded.

“I know you’re trying. Thank you.” Jack said gratefully.

Micheal smiled and left to go upstairs.

_

Jane was walking down Cherry Tree Lane, carrying armloads of banners and flyers. The rally had been a quiet one, but certainly not unsuccessful. When she opened the door to her brother’s house (with a spare key of course, she isn’t breaking in) she found him and her husband on the sofa giggling like two little schoolgirls.

“What are you two laughing about?” Jane asked suspiciously.

Jack and Micheal turned around, startled.

“Jane! You’re here! Welcome back dear sister.” Micheal said as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Oh come on it’s been two weeks.” Jane joked and hugged her brother.

“Where’s Georgie?” Jane asked.

“Upstairs with the children, of course.” Micheal said with a grin.

“Of course.” Jane echoed with a giggle.

“Hello husband.” Jane said giving him a kiss on the cheek from behind, leaning over the sofa.

“Hello. We were just looking at you.” Jack smirked.

“Oh?” Jane said with a confused look on her face.

“I got out the photo album.” Micheal grinned.

“You did not!” Jane gasped.

“Yes we did.” Jack laughed.

“Why would you show him those pictures!? They’re horrifying!” Jane said with a scolding tone.

“They’re not horrifying, they’re cute.” Jack said, pulling his wife next to him onto the sofa. He put his arm around her and pointed at a picture of teenage Jane with his other hand.

“Look at this one!” Jack almost squealed.

Jane pouted playfully.

“It isn’t cute at all. Look how mad I was in that picture, my goodness.” Jane said.

“Oh yes I think that was just after father had grounded you for staying out too late.” Micheal smirked and Jane smacked him on the arm playfully.

“You shut up.” She said. Oh god how many times she had said that to Micheal in her lifetime.

They continued mocking her for a while until the children all came downstairs, desperately needing to tell the new story they just heard to their parents.

“Father! Father! Father!” They all cried.

“Oh hello mother.” Katherine said and gave her mother a hug.

“Hello my darlings. Did father get you all here safely? You didn’t fall of did you?” Jane asked.

“No , mother. Father is the best bicycle rider in the whole world!” Albert beamed.

“Well that’s debatable, I must say…” Jane muttered under her breath, resulting in Jack stabbing his elbow playfully into her side.

“Mother, Georgie just told us the most wonderful story!” Winnie said, her eyes full of wonder.

“Oh, will you tell us what it was about?” Jane asked, taking her daughter onto her lap.

“It was about Mary Poppins of course. Georgie said they went into the bathtub, but ended up in a wonderful underwater world. They swam through a pirate ship, with dolphins and even flew through the air in bubbles!” She said, way too quickly for anyone to properly understand.

“How wonderful that sounds.” Jane said.

“What a big beautiful imagination you have Georgie. You should become a writer!” Jack said.

Jane gave him a glance.

“Oh it wasn’t imagination uncle Jack. It was very much real, and I’ve not forgotten it yet!” Georgie said proudly. He wasn’t going to forget, ever.

Jack chuckled.

“Of course Georgie.” Jack said with a not so convincing tone.

“Don’t you believe me?” Georgie asked.

“What is there to believe?” Jack responded.

Jane tried to get Jack’s attention but he wasn’t noticing. Instead she ushered the children out of the room with Ellen, before anything could get out of hand.

“All of our adventures with Mary Poppins. Have you forgotten? I thought you said you wouldn’t forget…” Georgie said sadly.

“Well I’ve seen things that are very real and the world is much safer without all that stuff o’ nonsense.” Jack said.

Jane couldn’t believe her ears.

Georgie ran upstairs and Micheal went after him.

“Jack how could you say that? You know how much those stories mean to him.” Jane said.

“Oh so now you’re on his side too?” Jack said angrily.

“I’m not on anyone’s side, but in this case I think you’re being ridiculous and mean.” Jane said simply.

“I’m not- I’m being realistic!” Jack yelled.

“Since when? Since when are you a realist? You used to be a dreamer, a believer.” Jane said sadly.

“Well I’ve changed. The world has changed. Back then I was naive and ignorant. Now I see things for what they are.” Jack said.

“Don’t you remember the day we fell in love?” Jane asked, her voice catching in her throat.

“I bought you a balloon at the Spring Fair. Of course I do.” Jack said.

“That’s it?” Jane asked.

Jack nodded, confused.

Jane felt a lump forming in her throat and tears welling in her eyes. She nodded to herself. She hadn’t forgotten, and she thought Jack would never either. But she was wrong.

“I need some air.” Jane said and stormed out of the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! It started of nice and easy but I had to create some kind of drama, and this was the best I could do. I’m so sorry, but there has to be some kind of drama for Mary Poppins to be able to show up ;)
> 
> I wrote the biggest part of this on the plane on my way to Crete so it’s definitely not my best work. Also I don’t have any WIFI at the place where I’m staying, but I'm currently on a phone Hotspot so this chapter is one day early! Because I don't think I'm gonna be able to post anything tomorrow ;/
> 
> Thanks for reading guys, leave a vote or a comment if you liked it and I’ll see you next Saturday.
> 
> -Z


	4. 3. The Balloon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack tries to make things right with Jane, and the children go out to buy their mother a balloon.

Micheal was just coming down the stairs as he saw his older sister storm out of the front door. Jack was about to go after her but Micheal stopped him for a moment.

"Jack, what is all this?" Micheal asked sternly. 

"I've been having a rough day, alright? I'm tired and not in the best mood." Jack said with a defeated look on his face. 

"Yes, I've noticed that." Micheal said, frowning at the Leerie.

"I'm sorry if I've made Georgie upset. I'll talk to him later, and apologize." Jack said, looking at his shoes.

"Good. Now, I don't know what you've said to Jane to make her run out of the house like that but you better make it right." Micheal said. Jack was silent.

"Look Jack, I know you've had a hard time. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you out there, but don't you dare forget that she's had it hard as well." And with that Micheal went into the kitchen, where Ellen and the children were. 

"Why is father angry, uncle Micheal?" Albert asked. 

"He's just very tired. He didn't mean anything he said." Micheal said, kneeling down to face his nieces and nephew. 

"Where's mummy?" Little Winnie asked, sniffing slightly. 

"Your mother went out for a quick walk. Don't you worry, she'll be back in no time." Micheal said sweetly, giving Winnie a hug. 

The room was quiet for a moment. 

"Uncle Micheal? What if the three of us go to the park and see if the balloon lady is there? We could buy mother a balloon to cheer her up." Katherine said.

Micheal smiled.

"I think she'd love that! What a great idea." He said.

The children cheered.

When they were all wrapped up in their coats and had their hats on, the children set off for the park. 

_

Jack was running around the park, looking for Jane. Eventually he reached the spot where the Spring Fair was always held. He looked around and saw Jane sitting on the side of the gazebo, where the musicians usually played. Right now it was empty. Even the park itself was completely empty and it gave Jack a bit of an eerie feeling. He walked towards Jane slowly, not wanting to startle her. 

Jane looked behind her and saw Jack walking towards her. She looked down at her hands that were laying calmly on her lap. 

"Hey..." Jack said softly as he reached her.

"Hey." Jane responded simply.

He sat down next to her and studied her face. She didn't seem to be mad anymore. Her eyes were now full of sadness. 

"I'm sorry." He said after a while. She didn't look at him.

"For what?" She asked softly.

"For what just happened. I shouldn't have said those things." Jack said, gently placing his hand on hers. Jane pulled them away quickly, as if his touch had burned her. 

"You've forgotten." She said bitterly.

"Jane... Those days, those happy and carefree days were the best of my life. You know that right?" Jack said, slightly startled by her resistance to hold his hand.

"I thought so. You know, Jack? Ever since you've been back I'd noticed you changed, but I never asked you about it because I didn't want you to be in pain. However I now see I've let it go too far." Jane said.

"Jane, you're not making any sense. This is in no way your fault." Jack said, desperately trying to get this through to her. 

"Oh but it is. If I had just talked to you about it from the beginning, you wouldn't have held it all in and you wouldn't have exploded today." Jane said. She felt like she had to cry, but no tears were forming in her eyes. She felt empty. Without Jack's belief, she didn't know how to keep her own. 

"Nothing is your fault, love. It's that blasted war that caused all this." Jack said, gritting his teeth in anger. 

Jane didn't respond. She was trying to forget the war, but both Jack's change and their youngest daughter was a constant reminder of how hard it had been. 

"It's been hard, Jane. I'm just not the same man as I used to be." Jack said.

"Yeah I know that." Jane said angrily. 

"I'm sorry. Sweetheart, just give me a chance to make this right." Jack pleaded. 

"You can't make this right, Jack. Don't you see? You've lost your light!" Jane almost yelled as a strong gust of wind almost blew her brown beret right from her head. She grabbed on to it quickly. The wind wasn't going away, it only seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. Jane subconsciously grabbed Jack's hand tightly, not knowing what was going on. They looked around them, and suddenly saw a pink balloon flying past them at a high speed. They looked at each other, almost smiling. Suddenly they heard a child screaming. Behind the bushes they could just about see the tiny figure that had managed to grab the string of the balloon and was now taking off into the air.

"Jack... is that...?" Jane started but Jack immediately sprinted off. 

"Winnie!" He yelled, running after the balloon. Jane quickly ran after him.

At the same time, Katie and Albert were also running across the park after the same pink balloon. They had just looked away for one second, handing the money over to the balloon lady, and the balloon had been off, and so had Winnie. They were relatively calm children, but right now they were panicking. 

"Katie what do we do? We can never catch it, it's going to fast!" Albert cried.

"Never say never, Bertie. Remember? Everything is possible..." Katie started.

"...Even the impossible." A sweet voice behind them finished.

"Don't you worry kiddos, that balloon isn't goin' anywhere." The woman said and she peddled off on her bicycle, also following the balloon. 

"Who was that?" Albert asked his big sister.

"I don't know... but we better follow her!" She said and they ran in the direction the woman had just cycled. 

Jack and Jane felt like they were running in circles. One moment they saw the balloon, and the next they didn't. 

Suddenly they saw their two eldest children running on the opposite side of the lake. 

"Look! It's Katie and Albert. We should follow them." Jane panted as she began running again, dragging Jack after her. 

The woman on the bicycle was the first to reach the balloon, and Winnie. She quickly threw her bike to the ground and was just in time to grab Winnie by her feet. 

"Let go of the balloon, lil' one. I've got ya!" She yelled up at Winnie, who was staring down at her with a terrified look on her face. 

"I can't! This balloon is for my mother!" She cried.

"Don't you worry 'bout the balloon. There's plenty of those! There's only one of you." The woman said. 

The wind was picking up speed once again and it was getting harder to hold on to Winnie's feet so the woman added:

"Please, lil girl!" Desperately trying to get through to her. 

Winnie looked up at the balloon one last time, before letting go of it and falling into the woman's arms. She watched as the balloon floated away. She sadly sniffed, thinking about how sad mother and Uncle Micheal will be now that's she's lost the balloon. 

All of a sudden the wind stopped blowing and Winnie looked up to where the balloon had just disappeared. The clouds parted and she saw the balloon coming back, but this time with a woman holding on to the string. 

"As I live and breath..." The woman next to Winnie said softly, and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I'm a week late! I was traveling and I started school again so I've been very busy and didn't have any time to write, but here is chapter 3. I'm in quite a flow now so I might just write chapter 4 as well and post that later on to make up for the week I missed. 
> 
> Anyway, here's a mystery OC! You'll find out more about her in the next chapter, but I just thought; you can't have adventures with Mary Poppins without a laborer sidekick! So she's my own little creation and I hope you'll like her. 
> 
> Thanks for reading guys! See you soon. (Probably a couple of hours later, but otherwise next week! ;P)
> 
> -Z


	5. 4. An Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary Poppins arrives to take care of the Banks family once more.

"As I live and breath..." The girl next to Winnie said.

Winnie looked up in awe. Who was this magical person coming out of the sky? 

When she finally landed, Winnie jumped towards her and bombarded her with questions but she was quickly shushed. 

"My goodness, Winnifred, you should really be more careful with the things you buy." The magical woman said as she handed the balloon back to Winnie. 

Winnie looked at her in shock as her brother and sister came running into the scene. 

"Ah there you are. You- ... Katherine you look like you've been dragged through the garden by a dog. And Albert... you ought to brush your hair in the morning." She tutted at the children. 

"Are you Mary Poppins?" Albert spit out.

"Albert!" Katie scolded him, but the woman had heard. 

"Am I Mary Poppins? Am I-.. Such rudeness! Didn't your parents teach you any manners young man?" Mary Poppins scolded.

Albert immediately fell silent. 

"How do you know our names?" Winnie asked quietly. 

"Mary Poppins knows everything, 'course." The girl who saved Winnie said with a grin. 

Mary Poppins turned to face her.

"Good to see you, Jill." She said with a fond smile on her face.

"Always good to see you too, Mary Poppins." Jill smiled.

"Jill? Is that your name?" Katie asked.

"Yep. Well, it's actually Jillian but all my friends call me Jill." She said.

"So you're friends with Mary Poppins then?" Albert asked.

"Friends? Hmpf." Mary Poppins remarked with her chin up.

"I met Mary Poppins when I was just your age. I was working for a lampligh'er back then." Jill said with a grin. 

Right at that moment Jane and Jack finally reached the balloon, but they didn't find anything they were expecting. 

"Mary Poppins?" Jane gasped.

"You're back?" Jack laughed. 

"Yes can't you see me?" Mary Poppins asked slightly ironic but with a stern face, walking towards the pair. 

"Yes, we can! And it's so lovely to see you again!"Jane beamed.

"Yes, I agree. Now you really ought to keep a closer eye on your children." Mary Poppins said giving the children a severe look. 

The pair was still panting from their marathon of running through the park. 

"Glory me, you sound like two seals with asthma. It's time for us all to go home and discuss the matter of my employment. Spit spot." Mary Poppins said and immediately strutted off towards 17 Cherry Tree Lane. 

"She knows we don't live at Cherry Tree Lane, right?" Jack whispered under his breath to Jane. She shot him a serious look, letting him know their not ok just yet. After that she walked after Mary Poppins, motioning for her children to follow her. 

Jack looked at Jill with a confused look on his face.

"Go on, Jack. You're the one who always told me how much adventure awaits you if you follow Mary Poppins, so I'd go if I were you." She said with a grin.

Jack shook his head at her with a chuckle and quickly tipped his hat as a good bye. Then he ran after the group of people heading towards Cherry Tree Lane. 

-

As soon as they reached the house, Winnie stormed through the door. 

"Uncle Micheal! Georgie!" She called and soon they came running down the stairs. 

"What's happened Winnie?" Micheal asked concerned, but at that moment Mary Poppins walked in through the door. 

They stood there gasping at her. 

"Micheal how many times do I have to tell you, we are not a codfish!" Mary Poppins scolded. He shut his mouth immediately. 

"Georgie Banks. You've grown too tall. " Mary Poppins said, walking past him in a swift motion. This is something family members would always say to Georgie as a compliment, but not Mary Poppins, no. Mary Poppins actually meant it to scold him. 

The rest of the group filled into the house. 

"You're back. How lovely to see you." Micheal said with a smile.

"Yes it appears I'm very much needed, so I'll stay." She said simply, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Uh... If you wish to be the nanny to our children, you should know we have our own house. You could stay there 'course." Jack said, rather hesitantly. 

"No I think I'd rather stay here. And so will the children." Mary Poppins decided, checking the bookshelves for dust. 

"But we live somewhere else, we-.." Jack started, but Jane cut him off.

"Of course, Mary Poppins. We'll all move in here, if that's alright with you Micheal?" 

"Perfectly fine. Since Annabel and John left, the house has been quite empty anyway, so the more the merrier!" Micheal beamed and the children all cheered. Mary Poppins shooed them upstairs and continued talking with Micheal about arrangements. 

Jack stood perplexed. Didn't they have enough on their plate already?

He dragged Jane into the parlor by her arm.

"Are you mad? We have one argument and suddenly you want to move?" Jack asked.

"This is not about the argument Jack, this is because it's what's best for us as a family. And besides we won't be moving apart so I don't get why you're being so dramatic." Jane said under her breath.

Micheal had gone into the kitchen and Mary Poppins stood in the hallway, subtly listening in on Jane and Jack's conversation. 

"We've just got so much going on Jane, and with my job..." Jack sighed.

"Deal with it. We're moving here, and you can either come with us or stay at our house, alone. Your choice." Jane said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

After a moment Jack chuckled and sighed. 

"God. I can't ever say no to you, can I?" He grinned and wrapped her up in his arms. Jane felt a little uneasy, but tried to enjoy their embrace and her victory. Something still wasn't right with him...

In their embrace, the pair didn't notice Mary Poppins sliding up the bannister, her carpetbag and umbrella floating in the air next to her. Winnie witnessed all this and gasped in shock.

"How did you do that?" She gasped.

"Do what?" Mary Poppins asked simply and walked into the nursery as if nothing had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! I know this whole chapter is one big parallel to MPR, but that was my intention! Believe me, I'm not going to be doing any of the same adventures so it won't be a MPR 2.0.
> 
> Two chapters in one day to catch up with the week I missed, sorry about that again!
> 
> Thanks for reading guys! Hope to see you next week!
> 
> -Z


	6. 5. Dancing Towels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary Poppins shows the kids a different way of cleaning themselves and Jane, Micheal and Jack look for potential new jobs for Jack.

"Now children, you will wash and change yourself this instant. You look like you haven't had a bath in years." Mary Poppins stated firmly, looking around the nursery.

"But I don't want to take a bath!" Albert said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Did I say you had to take a bath?" Mary Poppins asked crossly.

"Y-you said that..." Albert muttered nervously, startled by Mary Poppins' seriousness. 

"You said we needed to wash ourselves, Mary Poppins." Katie helped her brother quickly.

"That's correct Katherine. You need to wash yourselves, that does not have to mean taking a bath." Mary Poppins said, swiftly moving towards the bathroom. 

She got some towels out of the cupboards and handed one to each of the children. She then turned on the tap to let water fill up the sink. After it was full she turned the tap back off and nodded to herself. 

"That will do." She said to no one in particular. 

"Are we going to use these to wash ourselves?" Winnie asked confused.

"Yes Winnie. When you need to get clean quickly, this is the very best way to do so. " Mary Poppins answered. 

Then children stood there confused, not really knowing if they should start or not. All of a sudden, Winnie's towel started to float up into the air. It then continued to turn into all kinds of shapes, like it was showing off its tricks. Soon afterwards, the other towels started doing the same thing. The children laughed in delight. 

"How curious! Our towels are dancing!" Katie beamed.

"Dancing? No way. Mine is doing karate!" Albert said to his sister.

"Mine is showing me all my favourite things!" Winnie said excitedly. 

"Oh for Pete's sake. Would you please do what you're supposed to do?" Mary Poppins said, supposedly to the towels.

At that the towels stopped showing off, and each dipped a bit into the water that was still in the sink. They then proceeded to clean the dirt of off the children's arms, faces and legs. They all laughed.

"That tickles!" Winnie giggled. 

The towels then flipped around, and used their dry side to dry the children off. When they were all done they did one last trick for each of them.

"That's enough, thank you very much." Mary Poppins scolded. 

And with that the towels dropped to the floor. Now they looked nothing more than ordinary towels. 

"What? We're done already? I want the towels to dance again!" Albert cried. 

"I thought you said yours wasn't dancing?" Mary Poppins said firmly, letting the water drain out of the sink. 

"You're clean now. It's high time for tea." She continued and walked back into the nursery. 

"She's a tricky one isn't she?" Albert whispered to Katie.

"No, she's wonderful." Katie whispered back and follow Mary Poppins into the nursery with Winnie holding her hand. 

_

Soon after that the children were running down the stairs at a high speed, desperate to tell their parents about what just happened.

Jane, Micheal and Jack were surrounded by newspapers, letters and bills. They were searching for possible jobs for Jack.

"You could become an electrician? With all those electric street lights, I'm sure they could use some of those." Jane suggested.

"I don't have the slightest idea of how to work those electric lamps." Jack said, getting a bit cranky. 

"Well you could learn it. I'm sure it could be just as fun as lighting the normal lamps." Jane said.

"No, it won't." Jack snapped. Right at that moment the children burst into the parlor, yelling all kinds of stuff at the same time.

"Whoa darlings." Jane tried.

"Not now please." Jack groaned. 

The kids didn't stop, they were so into their story. 

"Kids..." Jane tried again but it was too late.

"Enough! Please." Jack snapped again. 

The children did stop now. They looked at their father almost in tears. 

"We're sorry father..." Katie said, taking her brother and sister by the hand.

Jane stabbed her elbow in Jack's side. 

"No wait. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just frustrated, that's all." Jack quickly said, not looking at Jane's death stare.

Katie glanced over at the papers. 

"What are you doing, father?" Katie asked, frowning.

"Nothing for you to worry about, my little light." Jack said, giving her a kiss on her cheek. 

Katie could now read one of the headlines.

"LOOKING FOR A JOB? SEE LIST BELOW."

"You're looking for a new job?" Katie asked.

"Katie, please." Jack started.

"But you're a lamplighter! Have you lost your job?" Katie started to panic.

"No my love. He hasn't yet. We're just making sure that if it does happen, your father has something that he can do!" Jane tried to comfort her.

"B-but father can't loose his job. He's the very best lamplighter!" Albert jumped in.

The children were now back on the verge of crying. They loved the fact that their father was a lamplighter, and they couldn't imagine him doing anything else.

"Mary Poppins, could you take the children back to the nursery please?" Micheal asked, trying to handle the situation before it escalates. 

"Of course. Come along children." She took Albert and Winnie by the hand and guided them back upstairs. 

Katie looked at her father, trying to see what he was thinking about all of this. 

"Katie, go upstairs please." He then said.

Katie looked down and slowly but surely followed Mary Poppins up the stairs. 

Jane looked at Jack with fury in her eyes. 

"What was that all about?" She asked.

Micheal quickly excused himself. He didn't want to get in the middle of this.

"I said, I'm frustrated." Jack said.

"I know you are, and so am I but that doesn't give you the right to snap at your children like that." Jane said.

Jack took her hands in his.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I'll apologize to them in the morning." Jack said, suddenly much softer.

Jane looked at him.

"Good. But don't you dare do that again, you understand me? It doesn't matter how frustrated you are, promise me you won't snap at them again." Jane said sternly. 

"Alright. I promise." Jack said. 

"Very good. Now kiss me." Jane grinned. 

Jack laughed, but happily complied. After a while they broke apart, but still clinging to each other.

"Don't you think we should wait until everyone's asleep?" Jack whispered huskily. 

"No, we can be very quiet, right?" Jane smirked.

"Oh well good luck with that, miss." Jack chuckled with a grin as they made their way to their assigned guest room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5!
> 
> Hope you liked it guys! If you did, please leave a comment or a vote ;)
> 
> See y'all next week!
> 
> -Z


End file.
